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President Obama is coming to San Francisco Wednesday for TWO MORE fundraisers — and no public events – and he'll be greeted by another liberal California Democrat in the "I support Obama for re-election, but I'm ticked....." camp: Newly-minted San Francisco Supervisor Christina Olague.
While Olague "wholeheartedly" supports Obama's re-election run, she is ticked at Obama for backing off of his 2008 campaign commitment concerning medical cannabis. You remember what candidate Obama said then: "I'm not going to be using Justice Department resources to try to circumvent state laws on [medical cannabis]." Yet, as Olague wrote in an open letter to Obama that we have obtained, "that is exactly what is happening when the federal government orchestrates raids of cannabis dispensaries that comply with state and local laws."
As we reported back in November, a growing number of people in the state's $1.5 biiiiiiiiiiiiiiillion medical pot industry – and their supporters – are frustated with Obama's folded arms approach to the targeting of medical cannabis facilities. Count Olague, who has four dispensaries in her district, among them.
She told us she's concerned about places like the Vapor Room, a longstanding dispensary that the feds have targeted.
"We're just asking (Obama) to be true to his word," Olague told us Tuesday. "Ask them (federal prosecutors) to back off."
Here is Olague's letter that is co-signed by Supes David Campos and Scott Wiener.
"We wholeheartedly support the President in his bid for a second term. We also want the President to keep the commitment he made in 2008 to stop the federal government's attacks on medical cannabis. These attacks undermine the rule of law in California, and we ask the President to put an end to them.
Yet, that is exactly what is happening when the federal government orchestrates raids of cannabis dispensaries that comply with state and local laws.
In October of last year, all four United States Attorneys for California held a rare joint press conference to announce a heightened attack on the medical cannabis community. Since then, numerous SWAT-style raids have occurred, fully compliant dispensaries have been threatened with criminal prosecution, and more than 200 landlords throughout the state have been threatened with federal seizure of their property. Even some local officials have been threatened for enacting strict dispensary regulations.
In San Francisco, at least nine landlords of permitted medical cannabis facilities and their tenants have been threatened. Because of these threats, five dispensaries that had been longstanding and respected businesses in the city were forced to close. Four more closures are slated to happen this month. San Francisco's permitted dispensaries are being intimidated, and they are wondering what might be next. Frankly, so are we.
Nowhere else are such aggressive tactics used by the federal government in opposition to protections established by local and state laws. As elected officials for the City and County of San Francisco, we deplore these tactics and urge President Obama to instruct the Department of Justice to let us enforce our own laws. We ask that the President call off the U.S. Attorneys and have them cease the needless threats against local and state law-compliant Californians.
We believe strongly in addressing medical cannabis as a public health issue, and we will strive to fully implement state law by protecting not only our patients, but our property owners and dispensary operators as well. We want to work with President Obama on a public health solution for medical cannabis at the federal level, once he wins a second term. In the meantime, the Department of Justice must respect our laws and honor the President's commitment on this issue. Honoring this commitment can start by taking no further action against the nine landlords of City-permitted facilities here in San Francisco
News Hawk- TruthSeekr420 420 MAGAZINE
Source: sfgate.com
Author: Joe Garofoli
Contact: Contact Us — SFGate, news and information for the San Francisco Bay Area.
Website: SF Supe Olague to Obama: Keep your promise on medical pot | Politics Blog | an SFGate.com blog
While Olague "wholeheartedly" supports Obama's re-election run, she is ticked at Obama for backing off of his 2008 campaign commitment concerning medical cannabis. You remember what candidate Obama said then: "I'm not going to be using Justice Department resources to try to circumvent state laws on [medical cannabis]." Yet, as Olague wrote in an open letter to Obama that we have obtained, "that is exactly what is happening when the federal government orchestrates raids of cannabis dispensaries that comply with state and local laws."
As we reported back in November, a growing number of people in the state's $1.5 biiiiiiiiiiiiiiillion medical pot industry – and their supporters – are frustated with Obama's folded arms approach to the targeting of medical cannabis facilities. Count Olague, who has four dispensaries in her district, among them.
She told us she's concerned about places like the Vapor Room, a longstanding dispensary that the feds have targeted.
"We're just asking (Obama) to be true to his word," Olague told us Tuesday. "Ask them (federal prosecutors) to back off."
Here is Olague's letter that is co-signed by Supes David Campos and Scott Wiener.
"We wholeheartedly support the President in his bid for a second term. We also want the President to keep the commitment he made in 2008 to stop the federal government's attacks on medical cannabis. These attacks undermine the rule of law in California, and we ask the President to put an end to them.
Yet, that is exactly what is happening when the federal government orchestrates raids of cannabis dispensaries that comply with state and local laws.
In October of last year, all four United States Attorneys for California held a rare joint press conference to announce a heightened attack on the medical cannabis community. Since then, numerous SWAT-style raids have occurred, fully compliant dispensaries have been threatened with criminal prosecution, and more than 200 landlords throughout the state have been threatened with federal seizure of their property. Even some local officials have been threatened for enacting strict dispensary regulations.
In San Francisco, at least nine landlords of permitted medical cannabis facilities and their tenants have been threatened. Because of these threats, five dispensaries that had been longstanding and respected businesses in the city were forced to close. Four more closures are slated to happen this month. San Francisco's permitted dispensaries are being intimidated, and they are wondering what might be next. Frankly, so are we.
Nowhere else are such aggressive tactics used by the federal government in opposition to protections established by local and state laws. As elected officials for the City and County of San Francisco, we deplore these tactics and urge President Obama to instruct the Department of Justice to let us enforce our own laws. We ask that the President call off the U.S. Attorneys and have them cease the needless threats against local and state law-compliant Californians.
We believe strongly in addressing medical cannabis as a public health issue, and we will strive to fully implement state law by protecting not only our patients, but our property owners and dispensary operators as well. We want to work with President Obama on a public health solution for medical cannabis at the federal level, once he wins a second term. In the meantime, the Department of Justice must respect our laws and honor the President's commitment on this issue. Honoring this commitment can start by taking no further action against the nine landlords of City-permitted facilities here in San Francisco
News Hawk- TruthSeekr420 420 MAGAZINE
Source: sfgate.com
Author: Joe Garofoli
Contact: Contact Us — SFGate, news and information for the San Francisco Bay Area.
Website: SF Supe Olague to Obama: Keep your promise on medical pot | Politics Blog | an SFGate.com blog
